Across 2025's finalists, companies report an average 35% saving in service costs, a 22% increase in sales-cycle velocity and combined outcomes that include more than R10-million operational efficiency savings, 13 000 workdays returned to businesses and over 10 000 employees equipped with productivity-boosting tools, says the company.

These results aim to show how South African organisations are moving beyond isolated upgrades and into enterprise-wide transformation. Using Salesforce, Agentforce, MuleSoft, Data Cloud, Tableau, Slack and an active partner ecosystem, the region's digital leaders aim to modernise customer engagement, automating manual work and building the foundations for responsible AI adoption, adds the company.

The award ceremony is hosted by Linda Saunders, Country Manager and Senior Director Solution Engineering, Africa of Salesforce and Neil Green, Regional Vice President of Salesforce, says the company.

Linda Saunders, Country Manager and Senior Director of Solution Engineering for Salesforce Africa, says that the results speak to a new maturity in how organisations are approaching technology.

"All the nominated companies are leading the way, demonstrating remarkable vision and impact through their dedication and hard work. They're integrating systems properly, using data more effectively and building AI into their operations in a responsible way. That's where the gains are coming from," says Saunders.

Standout Transformations

2025's nominations aim to cover the strongest examples of AI, automation, data modernisation and customer transformation on the continent, says the company.

In the AI Excellence category, banks, insurers and digital marketplaces are using AI to automate complex work and improve accuracy. Absa Group's AI-powered relationship-manager assistant prepares client briefs and handles post-meeting actions, aiming to free up several hours per month for bankers, adds the company.

Discovery piloted an AI service assistant that aims to answer customer queries with 100% verified factual accuracy. Weelee's AI-driven verification engine cut manual vetting by 70% and reduced processing times from 24 hours to 10 minutes, says the company.

Customer Transformation nominees show how organisations are consolidating systems to create full, real-time customer views. BetterHome Group aims to unify communications across its property brands, improving conversions across mortgage, legal and insurance journeys, adds the company.

Capitec Bank Limited aimed to bring all Salesforce orgs together into a secure, event-driven architecture, cutting reconciliation work by 60% and reducing integration costs by 40%. The Courier Guy moved from manual, siloed systems a customer-360 programme, identifying more than 600 000 re-engagement opportunities, says the company.

Marketing and Loyalty nominees demonstrated advanced personalisation at scale. Clicks Group used loyalty data to double online conversions and cut creative production time by 70%. Capitec Bank Limited increased operational output by 122% and automated three-quarters of its customer journeys. Woolworths Financial Services consolidated all customer communications onto Salesforce to provide personalised engagement across digital channels, adds the company.

In Supply Chain and Logistics, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages digitised trade-promotion planning, while Dunlop Tyres SA used Salesforce to create an automated container-optimisation engine that aims to reduced freight costs and increased order values. Mazy Plastics also aimed to improve delivery reliability using Salesforce Maps for route optimisation, says the company.

Data Dynamo nominees aim to highlight the region's push toward unified, real-time intelligence. Mr Price became the largest Tableau Cloud customer in South Africa and trained more than 250 staff in self-service analytics. Pepkor unified 30-million customer profiles across its retail brands through Data Cloud, adds the company.

A Platform for Africa's "Agentic Era"

The awards come as organisations face rising expectations without equivalent increases in budgets or headcount, a gap increasingly closed through automation, connected data and trusted AI, says the company.

"Africa has an opportunity to lead in this 'agentic era', where AI doesn't just automate tasks but plans, reasons and takes action," says Saunders. "The organisations recognised show what responsible, future-ready transformation looks like."

Salesforce created the Trailblazer Awards as an annual moment to recognise what real digital transformation looks like in South Africa. The awards aim to highlight measurable results, which can be traced back to smarter architecture, better data and technology, adds the company.

They also aim to highlight the collective strength of the Salesforce ecosystem. Customers, partners, engineers and architects are all part of the story, and the awards give that collaboration a place to be acknowledged, says the company.

Another purpose is peer learning. Some of South Africa's most ambitious organisations are solving similar challenges and the awards create a forum for sharing what works. They've aimed to become a benchmark for responsible AI, data governance and automation, adds the company.

Behind every nomination is a rigorous review, Saunders explains, because the judges consider the complexity of the business challenge, how creatively Salesforce was applied, the depth and clarity of results and whether the solution can scale and shift culture. In 2025, 37 shortlisted nominations went through that process across nine categories, each one signalling a different facet of the continent's digital momentum, says the company.

Winners and Categories (Total of 17 Nominees)

The 2025 Trailblazer Awards aims to recognise excellence across the following categories:

  • AI-Driven Productivity
  • Digital Transformation
  • Customer Experience Innovation
  • Integration Excellence
  • Data and Automation Leadership
  • Partner Innovation, and
  • Community and Impact.

Award Winners

AI-Driven Productivity Award: Absa Group

Absa Group has aimed to demonstrate how AI can enhance human capability. Absa Group's AI-powered relationship-manager assistant automates time-consuming preparation and follow-up work, returning hours to frontline bankers every month. Judges highlight its responsible-AI design and the organisation's strong adoption culture, says the company.

Customer Transformation Award: Capitec Bank Limited

Capitec Bank Limited's unified, event-driven Salesforce architecture aimed to help break down legacy silos, cut reconciliation work by 60% and reduce integration costs by 40%, helping it move towards a full, real-time Customer 360, adds the company.

Marketing and Loyalty Maverick Award: Clicks Group

Clicks Group was recognised for next-level personalisation, using real-time behavioural data and advanced journey orchestration with the aim to double online loyalty conversions and reduce creative production time by 70%. Judges acknowledged its ability to execute at scale without disrupting day-to-day operations, says the company.

Supply Chain and Logistics Supercharger Award: Dunlop Tyres SA

Dunlop Tyres SA aimed to deliver measurable operational gains through an automated container-optimisation engine that lowered freight costs and increased order values. Judges recognised the clarity of outcomes in a complex logistics environment, adds the company.

Data Dynamo Award: The Shoprite Group

The Shoprite Group's tech teams used Tableau to enable real-time, self-service analytics across the business. The judges recognised the Shoprite Group for scale and synergy of data, technology and culture that aimed to improve operational decision-making across thousands of employees, says the company.

Automation Ace Award: Weelee

Weelee earned this award for automating a previously manual, high-risk verification process. Its AI-driven solution cut vetting work by 70% and shrank processing time from 24-hours to 10 minutes, adds the company. 

Connected Data Champion Award: Absa Group

Absa Group claimed its second award for integrating complex, cross-system data through MuleSoft and Data Cloud. The bank aimed to establish a real-time foundation for decision-making, enabling faster, safer customer interactions and durable architectural scalability, says the company.

Sales and Service Synergy Award: Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA)

Volkswagen Group South Africa was recognised for unifying sales and service operations to deliver faster cycles and more accurate quoting, pricing and customer support. The project aimed to modernise the front office without disrupting dealer or customer workflows, adds the company.

Community Impact Award: Capitec Bank Limited

Capitec Bank Limited's second award recognised its work beyond business results. Judges described the entry as "profoundly moving", citing initiatives that expanded digital inclusion, supported financial literacy and empowered future leaders. Capitec Bank Limited aimed to demonstrate how the Salesforce platform can unlock social impact, concludes the company.

For more information, visit www.salesforce.com. You can also follow Salesforce on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor